[London, England; and Kristiania (Oslo), Norway.] Eleven letters, ten of them dating from between 1915 and 1925. Four of Archer's five letters from 27 Fitzroy Square, W. [London]

£1,250.00

A notable item in the present collection is a letter written by William Archer to Braekstad's widow in 1923, in which he gives a fulsome assessment of his character, describing his 'old friend' as 'the unofficial and unpaid consul for Norway', 'unwearied in his service to his country as represented by Norwegians in London'. Hans Lien Brækstad (who has a brief entry in Who Was Who) features prominently in Lionel Carley's 'Edward Grieg in England' (2006), where he is described as 'a major Norwegian presence in London.

Sir Day Hort Bosanquet (1843-1923), Governor of South Africa, 1909-1914, and Royal Navy admiral

Publication details:

Without date or place. [1900?]

£100.00

1p., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, wtih light paperclip damage at one corner. The recipient is not named, but the item is from the Wyllie papers. Reads: 'I have been in Herefordshire working for Captain Clive the Conservative candidate - I daresay you may have seen we got him in. | Yours very truly | Day H. Bosanquet'. Percy Archer Clive (1873-1918) was member of parliament for Ross, Herefordshire, 1900-1906 and 1908-1918.

2pp., 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. The menu is written out in faint pencil on one side, beneath the letterhead. On the other side, and headed with the date 4 June 1919 is the following playful address: 'Dear Jerrold, | "Carry on"! | This has no reference to the food we have just eaten. | You Walter [pun on 'ought to'] be here because you're a Jerrold [pun on 'dear old'] fellow. | And so say all of us.' Beneath this are nine signatures, two of which are undeciphered.

1p., 12mo. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. The letter reads: 'I beg to re-enclose for the excerpt from your publication "Men & Women of the Time," of my biography which I have revised, making a very few alterations, & adding a few lines which I write on the other sheet of this note: [not present] my permanent address now is the above'. The note relates to the fifteenth edition of the work, published by G. Routledge & Sons in 1899.

1p., landscape 12mo. In fair condition, on aged and dusty paper. The receipt, for £19 5s 4d, is printed, and completed in manuscript in another hand. Archer has signed over a red tax stamp: 'William Archer | 7/12/06'. Stamped, and numbered '2801' in blue pencil. In top right-hand corner, in the same hand as the receipt: 'C. B. 215'.

The letterhead features an image of an hornet seated at a writing table. Letter One: 1p., 12mo. Bifolium. Fair, on aged paper. The letter reads: 'Friday | Dear Draper | Have you made up your mind to let me have a conceit or two for Ye Hornet. I can only offer 5/- a column but then Column is but a very brief affair. | Yours always | [signature in the form of a drawing of a hornet]'. Letter Two: 2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with slight traces of previous mount on reverse of second leaf. Addressed to 'My dear Draper'.

English chemist (1788-1866) who succeeded Sir Humphrey Davy as Professor of Chemistry at the Royal Institution (1813). Two pages, octavo. Very good, though lightly creased and with remains of previous mount adhering to one edge. Begins 'I have no doubt that much fraud is committed by the substitution of spiritious liquors of different strengths, for what is called woodspirit and wood naphtha'.